In Place of Someone You Love
by witwercommasavvy
Summary: AU: Bella and her family live in a camp ten years after an epidemic killed nearly everyone on the planet. Her father is leader of the group, Jacob one of his officers. After years of not seeing any other humans outside of camp, everyone is surprised by the discovery of three more alive: the Cullens. While Edward threatens to steal Bella's heart, the sickness threatens them all.
1. Bright Emerald Green

It was unusual for my sleep to be broken by something other than sunlight leaking through the thin cracks in the wooden walls, making it too hot to remain unconscious. But here I was tonight, opening my eyes in the pitch black, hearing voices across the room. I stayed perfectly still, trying to listen.

"…intruders in the camp."

"Intruders?" This voice was my dad's, and the surprise didn't belong to only him; intruders? It had been years since a new person had come onto our grounds. Intruders were absolutely unheard of.

"They're locked in the hospital. Jacob found them, trying to steal from the dry supplies."

"Wait for me outside," my dad replied. I didn't immediately know the voice of the man talking to my father, but I knew it was one of his officers. My dad had been a sheriff before the sickness, and that role had followed him into this new life. He was the leader of the camp, the top boss. I remembered when he had been shy, avoiding conflict and always keeping his mouth shut. I had been that way, too. The epidemic's occurrence had changed everyone individually, but my dad and I were very similar in that we had really found ourselves in times like this. We were strong now. I had never known fear like that of watching my family members and friends die all around me; since then, I had decided never to feel fear again.

I waited until I heard the catch of the door after my father followed his officer outside the house before I slid off my mattress, padding across the floor. I put on an old pair of sandals that would let me follow them in mostly silence, deciding that my pajamas – a t-shirt and loose running shorts – would suit this exposition just fine.

They headed toward the abandoned hospital, which was just beyond the overgrown trees that hid our camp. I stepped where they stepped, watching for twigs. I knew these woods better than I'd known roads before the sickness. I had spent the last ten years of my life in them.

I waited outside as they entered the tucked away side door, counting slowly to ten and then trying the handle. It was locked, of course; as the chief's daughter, I had my own ring of keys, but I'd left them back in the house. If I ran back and got them, I would miss all the action.

Another luxury of being the chief's daughter was that I had my own supplies that were rare among the other campers – specifically, in this case, bobby pins. I always kept one in my hair for lock-picking purposes, and dropped carefully to my knees, picking the old and dented lock and pushing the door open. It was nearly as black in the hall as it was outside, but a long way down the hall I caught sight of light streaming under a door. I jogged toward it, kneeling on the tile without blocking the light. I didn't know this room. It was very, very rare that we had to lock anyone up.

I heard my dad's voice, pressing my ear against the lock. "Explain to me exactly what happened again, please, Jacob."

I recognized the next voice immediately, too. My dad's second-in-command, an eighteen year old named Jacob. He was gorgeous, I had to give him that; russet skin, dark brown eyes, long black hair. It was rare to have long hair in the camp, since it was too difficult to take care of. Jacob and I had some of the longest hair out of all of the campers.

His attitude, however, was quite a turn-off.

"I was patrolling, as usual, and heard noises coming from the supply shelter at the back of the hospital. I managed to surprise the intruders, discovering them looting our dry goods. I incapacitated one of them and the other two surrendered. I brought them in here and immediately went for help." I could almost hear the holier-than-thou sneer on his face as he spoke.

"And you believe that they were trying to steal our supplies?"

"What else would they have been doing?"

"In your opinion, what's the best choice of punishment for these…intruders?" I could tell my dad didn't like the word. New faces were less common than any kind of supplies these people might have been trying to steal. _No one is invaluable in this life_ , I could hear my father telling me.

"In all honesty, we can't trust anyone we don't know. Not in times like these." Wrong answer. My dad wouldn't like that.

I began picking this second lock, the voices loud enough that I wouldn't be overheard. "Are you suggesting we kill them?"

"With all due respect, Charlie—"

I burst through the door, shoving past two more officers I didn't bother looking at so I was in the middle of the room. My father and Jacob were immediately in front of me, and on the floor to my left were the famous intruders, bound and sitting against the wall with ties around their mouths.

"Bella," my father growled, stepping toward me. "What are you doing in here?"

"You can't kill them," I insisted right away, glancing at Jacob angrily and then looking down at the intruders. "No one is invaluable in this life, dad—Chief Charlie. You know that. How often do we see strangers? How rare is it to see anyone besides our campers alive? The exact way that we managed to build our camp up to this size was accepting everyone and taking in anyone that we could. If we didn't give anyone second chances, none of us would be here." I brought my gaze back to Jacob, who was the only one of four people that survived a bear attack several years ago. Animal sightings were unlikely, considering the sickness didn't only harm humankind, and it had attacked his group from behind. Many campers had blamed him, as he was the oldest of the group at the time.

The attack had left him scarred, three thick pink lines traveling from underneath his chin down below the collar of his shirt. I didn't know how far the scars actually went, but I remembered all the blood when they had brought him back to camp. _Don't look, Bella,_ my mom had cooed.

 _Will Jacob be okay?_

 _He'll be fine, my love._

 _What about the other boys?_

 _They…they went away, like grandma and grandpa._

 _And Aunt Dana?_

 _Yes, like them._

"Spoken like the chief's daughter," another of my dad's officers said. He was smiling, but Jacob looked incredibly unhappy. His eyes were on our prisoners now, and I looked down at them too, seeing one of them was staring at me. He looked young, around my age, his hair a strange orangey bronze in the candlelight. I could see right away that he was beautiful; it had been a long time since I'd seen a boy more beautiful than Jacob, but here one was, tied up on the floor right in front of me.

"Let them go," I asserted. "At least listen to what they have to say."

"Why are we listening to her? She doesn't even understand half of this," Jacob said, angry that he was being so openly questioned, and I rolled my eyes, kneeling in front of the prisoners and reaching for the knots around the beautiful boy's wrists. His eyes followed me, and then moved to look over my left shoulder as Jacob leapt forward to stop me.

My elbow shot backwards, catching him hard in the stomach, but his warm hands found my arms anyway, trying to pull me away. I landed on my back and brought my knee up in the air fast, just barely missing Jacob's nose.

"Enough!" Charlie shouted, and Jacob dropped me quickly, backing up. I scoffed and returned to what I'd been doing, my eyes on the prisoners.

"Which one of you is the leader?" I asked them, and a blond man nodded, the other two group members looking over at him. He was on the end, the tallest, a light dusting of blond facial hair scattered on his cheeks and chin where I could see the skin there. I carefully pulled down the cloth around his mouth, letting him speak.

"My name is Carlisle," he said quickly. "We didn't mean any harm. We were simply curious, and it was disrespectful of us to interfere with your supplies without knowing who they belonged to. It has just been so long since we've seen others," he added. "I don't remember the last time I saw another face besides my son's or wife's."

"Your whole family survived?" I asked immediately. My father, mother, and I had all managed to avoid getting the sickness. Some people were just immune to it, we'd heard. We had done our best to help our friends and family survive. None of them had. Nearly every family on earth had been completely torn apart. "You are the only other ones I've met."

"Yours did as well?" Carlisle asked, looking from me to Charlie. "How many of you are there? Even in this room, there's what, six of you? And that supply closet – you must have close to fifty survivors living together. Wow." He let out a slow breath.

"What's it to you?" Jacob demanded, and I turned around to glare at him. He was moving closer to the prisoners, and I immediately straightened up, my chest to his.

"Keep your mouth shut," I growled.

"You do not tell me what to do." Anger sparked in his dark eyes, and I saw Charlie's hand clamp on our shoulders, pushing us apart.

"Let the man speak," he told both of us. "Carlisle, how did you find us?"

"We came all the way from Washington," he said, looking up at us from the floor still. "That's where we lived before. We happened upon your camp in our travels. We've been looking for others for so, so long. It's like everyone in the world just disappeared."

"No, everyone in the world died," I said, dropping back to my knees. "So what, you want to stay here?"

"Bella," Jacob warned, more anger in his voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Humans need each other to survive. We would be happy to offer our skills. I was a doctor before the sickness. I worked at a hospital. I could assist in the healthcare of your citizens. My wife and son have their own skills, as well. We would be good contributions to your camp."

"You were a doctor?" I asked, stunned. Almost every doctor in the country and beyond had died from the sickness. My mom had been a nurse, and she was the only one in her whole hospital who had been immune. Every doctor had died, as well.

"I was."

"Dad?" I asked Charlie, turning back to look at him. He looked contemplative, whereas Jacob just looked plain pissed. It was quiet for several moments before my dad finally spoke, uncrossing his arms.

"You can stay," he said, and Jacob opened his mouth to protest just as Charlie held up his hand. "You'll be staying here in the hospital with guards at all hours. You'll be assigned duties. If you step out of line, Jacob will get to decide your fate." This seemed to appease the angry officer, whose dark eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "You'll be retrieved at sunrise. Bella." Charlie stepped forward, and I straightened up, letting him lead me out of the room. The other officers followed, one staying behind to untie the prisoners. They were led to a room with three beds, and Jacob and another officer, a young woman named Avery, waited outside as guards.

We left the hospital still in the dead of night, and I tipped my head back to look up at the stars and crescent moon before they would be swallowed up by the trees. Charlie and I walked together, the other officers following. They had all been woken up, I assumed.

"Do you feel good about this?" I asked him as we walked, and he glanced at me slowly, frowning.

"I don't think you should have been in there at all. That was very irresponsible of you."

"What would have happened if I hadn't been there?"

"You don't think I could have handled it without you? Sorry, your highness."

"That's not what I meant. I just mean – well, we both know who's taking over this place when you're gone. Not that that will be any time soon, but…" I trailed off, looking at my father. His facial hair was much darker than Carlisle's, and a lot thicker. Razors were virtually nonexistent after ten years of sickness and death, so the men trimmed their beards as well as they could with scissors or knives, and women weren't expected to shave anything. That was one bright side, out of several million dark ones.

"I understand, Bella. You just have to be careful."

"Why, is the big bad Jacob gunna kick my ass or something?" I grimaced. "He wishes he could."

"Jacob would never try to hurt you," my dad said quietly. "Don't assume that about him just because he's a bit abrasive. He means well. He's a good person."

I had heard this too many times. I could tell my dad really valued Jake as a person, and he was a great officer and all, but that was it. I had a feeling sometimes that my dad wanted me and Jacob to have some kind of future together, where the two of us took care of the camp and got married and rode horses off into the sunset. It was the fucking end of the world, for crying out loud. I had bigger things to worry about than whether my dad wanted me to date Jacob or not.

I returned to my cot, hearing my dad's familiar snoring shortly after. He and my mom slept in the same bed, and I shared the other end of the house with my little brother, Isaac. He didn't snore, so I had no way of knowing whether or not he was asleep.

I should have guessed that he wouldn't be. I felt his nudges not even a minute after my dad was out cold, and moved over so he could slide into my bed with me. I really didn't like when he did this. It was hot enough alone in my own bed, especially in the summer. But he was my little brother. Only five, he had no memories of anything before the sickness.

"You have a nightmare, Isaac?"

"What did you and dad leave for?"

"Nothing major, silly. Go back to sleep."

"Is it bad? What are intruders?"

"New people," I sighed, not knowing how to avoid it. I wasn't one to sugarcoat the truth with him. "New good people, who are here to help us."

"We don't need help," he said quickly, and I smiled at the determination in his small voice. I was positive he'd gotten it from me.

"Mom needs some help in the garden sometimes, doesn't she?" I asked him, and he seemed to think about it for a while.

"Well, yeah," he conceded. "And Jacob needs help putting on his knife belt, sometimes."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Jacob knew my little brother was fascinated with the work he and my father did, and never hesitated to show off to Isaac all the weapons he held and all the different ways he knew how to use them. It annoyed me. He was five. He didn't need that in his head.

"Jacob can put his own belt on."

"You don't like Jacob?"

"You know I don't."

"Well, he likes you," Isaac said, yawning and turning the opposite direction on my pillow so he was facing away from me. "He talks about you all the time. How pretty your hair is. How your smile is like stars in the sky."

"He said that?" I scoffed, wishing it was easier for me to stop making my dislike so obvious. I didn't want Isaac feeling like I hated his idol.

"One time I went with him when he was doing laundry, and he said that when you go swimming at night, you'll sing. And he said it's the prettiest singing he's ever heard."

I paused, unaware until now that anyone knew about my nightly swimming sessions. I swam all the time; it was one of those things that I had loved before and after the sickness. Our camp had been chosen specifically because of the convenience of our location: we were right behind a totally empty hospital, which was full of supplies, beds, and other useful things, including a place for us to stay when the weather got bad. Also, we weren't even a mile from a natural spring, which was naturally occurring, ice-cold fresh water that we could use for nearly anything. My dad didn't like us swimming in it, and Jacob knew that. I would expect him to reprimand me for breaking rules like that.

"What else does he say about me, Isaac?"

I had apparently taken too long to reply to him, his tiny breaths elongating, and I sighed, letting him sleep. I carefully climbed over top of him and moved onto his cot, not bothering to bring a blanket. I had always tried to keep track of months, and I was pretty sure it was May. Already about a month into the Florida summer.

—

As usual, my parents had already woken up and left the house before I even opened my eyes. I glanced over, seeing Isaac tangled in his shirt in his cot, and smiled despite myself. He had my same chocolate hair, but he'd gotten my mom's blue eyes. They reminded me of the cold blue spring, which in turn reminded me of what Jacob had allegedly said about me. I highly doubted it had any truth to it, but Isaac would have no reason to make that up.

It still bothered me that he was that creepy, to actually watch me at night without my knowledge. Granted, I usually wore clothes while I was swimming, but still. It was a private moment, obviously. I'd never be able to enjoy those late night sessions the same way ever again.

I got dressed and left the house, immediately in the middle of our tiny camp's center. Not only did we choose a clearing in the forest to camp in because of its proximity to places we needed, but we also hadn't wanted to take over some empty neighborhood. It made most of us more comfortable to be this close to each other, and to everything we needed. That was why we'd spent years building houses out of trees from our huge forest and cots from the hospital. We were like a big, fifty-person family. People had come from everywhere; there was one person from as far north as Canada, another pair of strangers from Mexico who had met on their way up here, and subsequently gotten "married." My dad brought all of us together. He took care of us. Everyone looked up to him, loved him.

Which was why he was the one explaining our new members. He stood in front of Carlisle and the other two prisoners, or campers, now. The beautiful boy was there, and he met my eyes as I approached the scene, tossing my hair over my shoulders. His were bright, emerald green.

"This is Carlisle, Esme, and Edward," Charlie was saying, and I brought my gaze back to the beautiful boy. Edward was his name, then. "They're a family from Washington who has come a very long way to be with us. I'm expecting all of us to welcome them with open arms. For the time being, they're staying in the hospital. Jacob and Avery are their escorts." I assumed that escort was a nice word for prison guard, but said nothing. I spotted Jacob, too, standing with his back to me, facing my father. My stomach twisted at him hearing me sing, and I picked a spot far from him to stand and watch.

"Carlisle was a doctor before the sickness, so he is going to be assisting Renee with her nursing duties," my dad explained. He waved to my mom, her messy auburn hair blowing in the breeze, dirt already coating her arms. Not only was she the main nurse of the camp, but she also was the head gardener. She said it made her feel free.

"Esme will be helping as a teacher. And Edward will work with the others of his age doing regular chores, until he begins his training as an officer." This was a very, very honorable position, one that Jacob certainly hadn't expected any of these strangers to be offered. I saw his shoulders tense and anger flash through his dark eyes as my father continued speaking, and I ignored it, looking back at Edward. The boy seemed confused, but not at all afraid.

We would get along just fine, I decided.


	2. About Death

"Bella, you can be Edward's guide today. Show him around the main chore areas, get him acclimated to the camp," my father said, and if stating that Edward would be an officer in the future wasn't bad enough, certainly sending me off with the same intruder would kill Jacob. The boy stepped forward, brown eyes blazing, and my father shot him a silencing look that was ignored.

"You're going to let these strangers see everything important to us? What if their goal is to do us harm?" he demanded, right in the middle of everyone. Charlie looked unsurprised, sighing.

"In what world," he began, moving away from the strangers and toward Jacob, "would these people have traveled this far just to cause harm to any of us? Humans are all alike: we need each other to survive. How can we, as a family, force them to remain all alone? How are we going to keep our race from dying out entirely if we won't accept even the most innocent of our kind?"

"They're hardly innocent," Jacob snorted, but he looked taken aback. My father was rarely angry; but when he was stern like this, you could hardly help but just listen to him. He had gained a way with words that he had never had before the sickness.

"That is your opinion, Officer." I could tell it hurt Jacob to be referred to as a title rather than a name, and I was sure Charlie had meant it to; he turned back toward the newcomers, glancing over at me. "Like I said. Bella, show Edward around. You two are similar in age. He will learn from you."

"Yes, sir," I replied, and waved to Edward from my spot in the circle. He smiled weakly and followed me away, looking back over his shoulder at his family and my father, probably still diffusing Jacob.

"How old are you?" I asked him, wondering why my father had said "similar in age." I was seventeen. Jacob was eighteen. Wasn't that similar?

"Seventeen," he replied, and I nodded.

"Me, too."

That was the extent of our introductory conversation, and I led him off toward the far edge of the camp, by the hospital.

"You're familiar with this place," I told him, pulling open a door. "This is dry stock. We have some cars left over that we use to go scavenging. It's rare that we find food that's not spoiled or something, or even for us to find any food at all, but this is what we have." I closed the doors, moving on with the tour.

"Charlie is your dad, then?" Edward asked as we crossed through the trees; I was leading him around the edges, not really wanting to return to the group gathering until after Jacob had been put in his place. He was following, but far slower than me; he tripped on the occasional tree root, or had to dodge a limb. I rarely even got leaves in my hair anymore, I was so accustomed to the area.

"You couldn't tell?" I asked, slowing down for his benefit. "He founded this place."

"Are you from Florida originally?"

"Yes," I replied. "Are you from Washington originally?"

"Yes," he mimicked. "How long have you all been out here?"

"It's been eight years since we weren't alone anymore," I said slowly. I didn't know how much my father wanted him to know. "A couple from Tallahassee found us. They were the first ones to tell us that there wasn't anything left." I stopped there, speeding up again, and Edward was too busy trying not to trip and fall that he was silent.

I stopped outside my mom's garden, waiting in the trees for Edward's approach. His breathing was a little heavy as he slowed, and I suddenly felt guilty. "This is where we grow most of our food," I told him. "My mom and brother are our main gardeners."

"How old is your brother?" he asked, and I smiled immediately. Everyone was always surprised about Isaac.

"Five," I stated, then turned toward the clearing, pushing aside several branches so sun suddenly shone through, onto us. My mom and Isaac were already among the rows, my mom on all fours, Isaac digging with a spade.

"Hey, guys," I said, waiting for Edward to emerge with me. "This is Edward. He's new." My mom already knew, of course; but Isaac had probably been instructed to stay in the garden when my father had introduced them, so he would be as clueless as I had been last night.

"Bella!" Isaac called, racing across the rows of plants toward me and grabbing onto my leg. "Morning, sunshine."

"Morning, sunshine," I repeated, kneeling in front of him. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, this is Edward," Isaac said, looking up at the new boy. "An intruder."

I laughed, and I pulled on the little boy's curly brown hair, shaking my head. "Intruder is a mean word."

"So he's not an intruder?"

"No, he's nice."

"Oh," Isaac said, immediately assuaged. "I'm Isaac."

"Edward," the tall boy said, holding out his hand. Isaac took it, looking at his palm.

"You don't do much work, do you?" my brother asked, meaning that Edward's white hand lacked callouses, and we all laughed. My mom ran up to us, still covered in dirt.

"Be polite, Isaac," she said. She held out her hand to Edward as well, and he shook it, despite the soil on her skin. "I'm Renee, Charlie's wife."

"It's really a pleasure to meet you," he said. "All of you. We never thought we'd see other humans."

"You're in luck, then," Isaac said. "There's lots of us here."

Edward grinned, glancing around the garden. "Bella, when you said garden, I didn't expect something this big."

"There's a lot of people here," I pointed out, surveying my mom's work with him. Rows upon rows upon rows of vegetables grew here; my mom had even fashioned old fences for the tomatoes, and had also managed to rehabilitate some old orange trees from the area, which stood behind the garden. "You should smell those in the springtime," I said, pointing.

"Wow," he breathed, his eyes wide, and I grinned at my mom. She grinned back, taking Isaac's hand.

"Well, unless you guys want to stay and help," she started, moving back toward her plants, "I suggest you continue with your tour. We've got work to do."

"Yes, ma'am," Edward said, looking at me, and I pretended not to notice his eyes. They weren't just looking at me; they were gazing, his fascination with the area and with finding others glowing in his expression. I certainly hoped that was all he was fascinated with. I remembered him staring at me in the hospital last night, and quickly distracted myself, starting to jog through the trees again.

I showed Edward the spring, and he stared at the cool water, kneeling down and touching it gingerly, as if it were alive. I showed him where we emptied our waste, which was several miles away from the camp. By the time we got back, it was nearly noon, the sun beating down. I wiped sweat off my brow, leading Edward to where my father usually patrolled during the daytime.

He was leaning on one of our cars, a relatively new Jeep Wrangler that was covered with a plastic tarp. Another of his officers was standing with them, and my stomach dropped when I saw Jacob there, as well. He shot forward upon hearing us approach, reaching for me, and I swatted his arms away, punching him sharply in the stomach. He doubled over, his eyes surprised, and Edward laughed.

"For Christ's sake," Charlie groaned. "Grow up, both of you." He walked forward, and I wondered if Edward was supposed to see the shotgun over his shoulder. "How did it go?"

"It went well," I replied, my eyes following Jacob's dejected form back to the Jeep and the other officers. "I think he's ready to be assigned chores."

"Fabulous. He can do laundry with you today, then."

"What?!" Jacob demanded, and Charlie and I rolled our eyes simultaneously. "Don't you think that's a little remote for the two of them to be going together?"

"We went everywhere else," I asserted, trying to force insinuations into my tone, and Jacob's eyes darkened.

"Avery will escort them," Charlie said, glaring at both of us, and the officer he had named stepped forward, tossing short hair behind her shoulders. She too had a gun, but it was much smaller, in a holster on her hip.

"Yes, sir," she said, and I sighed. As if I couldn't take care of myself.

We made it to the spring shortly after, toting large bags full of clothes, and I told Avery she didn't have to help. This job would go way faster even with just Edward helping, and I didn't need her in my business, anyway. I knew very well, as did everyone else, that Avery had a huge crush on Jacob. It didn't bother me so much as annoy me; how could anyone like him that way? He was a major asshole. Regardless, she listened to me, standing among the trees several yards behind us.

"So what do you remember about your life before the camp?" Edward asked several minutes into silent clothes-washing; he picked up on the idea very easily, and we sat on the side of the spring, the only sounds the splashing of our hands in the water.

"I remember a lot of it, actually," I said slowly, wondering what his goal was in asking me things like this. Why did he care? Was it because both of us were lucky enough to have our families with us? Was he just trying to make friends? The idea seemed heinous to me; I hadn't had to worry about something as trivial as making friends for a decade.

"Like what?"

"What do you want to know?" I replied quickly. Open-ended questions weren't my favorite.

"Well, we were both seven when it started," he said carefully. He seemed worried about my reactions. "Did anyone else in your family die?"

"My grandparents," I said. "They died very early. Before we even knew it was an epidemic."

"Anyone else?"

"My mom's sister, Dana. My dad didn't really have much family besides us." I paused, wondering if I should be polite and ask about him. "Dana and her husband and kids all died from it. They were living in another state at the time, though, so it didn't really hit me that hard. Plus, I was eight or nine, so I understood that it happened."

"You're so blasé when you talk about death," Edward noted. "Even last night in the hospital. 'No, everyone in the world died' or something like that."

"I'm just used to it. I don't see any point in hiding from it. Death comes for us all."

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

"I'm not afraid of anything."

We were quiet for a few more moments, and then nosiness overcame me. "What about you, then?"

"What do I remember?"

"Yeah."

"I honestly don't have many memories of my childhood," he said carefully, as if he didn't want to seem crazy. "I think I blocked it out. We lived in a small town, and my father was chief of surgery at the hospital. He brought the sickness home with him. It killed my little sister."

"Damn," I breathed immediately, looking up from the shirt in my hands to Edward's calm face. "Talk about blasé."

"We all have to come to terms with what happens to us eventually," he said, carefully again. I wondered if that was just the way he was, always putting a lot of thought into his words. "She was five at the time. Her name was Alice."

"That's a pretty name," I replied. I could see in his perfect eyes that he still felt pain; but, like anyone else, he was hiding it. "You miss her." It wasn't a question.

"Of course I miss her."

"I'm glad you have your parents still," I told him, my heart suddenly aching. How did I make him feel better?

"Thank you. Anyway," he said, and I was relieved he was changing the subject, "we've been moving around since it happened, looking for a place that we could stay. It was dangerous, at first. Everyone was looting, stealing, killing each other. But then…"

"All those people died," I said, smiling weakly. "See how easy it is to say?"

He laughed. "I guess."

"When you were traveling the country," I said. "And walking around everywhere and everything. Did you find any other place like this? Or any civilizations?" I had never told anyone how much I missed it; I wanted to be in school, I wanted to go to college. I wanted to get married to someone and feel safe enough to have kids. There were only three children in the whole camp who had been born here. No one could trust that they would be safe from the sickness, however. Sometimes I stayed up all night worrying about what might happen to Isaac.

"Your camp is the only settlement we have ever found. Your faces are some of the first we have seen in four or five years."

"Oh," I replied, my eyes on the water in front of me. Four or five years. We were alone.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward said suddenly, and my head snapped up, our eyes meeting. His were so gorgeous, so green; I had always wanted eyes like that. No one else in camp had green eyes.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked, trying to seem nonchalant; I scrubbed at the clothing in my hands with renewed vigor, ignoring the knot in my chest. "Nothing to be sorry about. We have everything we need here."

"That's good," he said. The slowness of his tone was aggravating all of a sudden; why did he have to think so hard? I clenched my jaw and finished the clothes as quickly as possible, wanting desperately to get away.

We hung the clothes up on the line in a quarter of the time it usually took me by myself, and then we were heading back to camp, hearing happy voices and cheering before we had even broken through the trees. I remembered with a jolt that it was technically Friday, which was the weekly night of the camp "party," if it could really be called that. Everyone met in the middle of camp, dancing around and singing and pretending that things were okay, even though they definitely were not.

I whispered quickly what was happening to Edward, and he nodded, looking semi-excited for a party. I wanted to tell him it sucked, but before I had the chance, we passed through the trees into the clearing that was our campground, and Isaac was the first one to see us. He ran up and grabbed onto my leg again, dirt on his tiny face.

"Bella!" he said, grinning up at me. "Mama is making spaghetti tonight!"

"Wow," I replied, surprised; it had been a while since any of our meals consisted of food that wasn't vegetables. I was reminded that I hadn't eaten today by my growling stomach, and I looked around for my mom, probably going to have her grab a couple things for me from the garden.

She was nowhere to be found, but Jacob certainly was, emerging from one of the houses and approaching us much more threateningly than little Isaac had. "Bella, can I talk to you?" he asked me, and I wrinkled my brow, glancing at Isaac. He shrugged, moving away, and I looked back up at the officer boy, dark eyes boring into me.

"Sure," I said. I smiled easily up at him, my hand still on the top of Isaac's head.

"Alone?" he added, and I fought the urge to grimace.

"You'll be okay with Avery?" I asked Edward, and he smirked, nodding. His eyes didn't stay on me for long; they flicked to Jacob, a glint of distaste crossing his expression. _You and me both_ , I thought, following Jacob back toward the trees.

He stopped when they hung over us, blocking the sun, and I hated how gorgeous his skin looked with the shadows staining it. "Did you have plans to go to the party tonight?" he asked me, and I immediately knew what his next question would be.

"No, I didn't," I said, unable to answer any other way. And he was asking me to go with him in three, two, one…

"Good, me either," he said. Well, that hadn't been what I expected. "Do you wanna do something else maybe? We can go swimming." He winked, and I nearly gagged.

"Charlie doesn't like people swimming in the springs," I said, trying to mimic Edward's thoughtful tone.

"Well maybe we can just go on a walk?"

"I'm good, Jake," I said, starting to walk away. "Shouldn't an important officer like you stay here anyway, what with all these intruders around?" I winked back at him, then turned my back fully, stalking off toward camp with a smug grin on my face.


	3. Russet

The gathering was as it usually was; crowded, loud. People were dancing around, eating, laughing, enjoying themselves. The reason this happened every week was because of the amount of people who really wished that things were back to normal; as happy as we all were, there was no question that the stress of living in the forest in the Florida heat, scavenging for and growing our own food, got to us all at some point. My father especially. The party was his favorite time of the week.

Not mine. I didn't much like all the noise, and stuff like this did a good job of just reminding me what I didn't have anymore, what I could never have. I wanted civilization. I wanted to go to school. I wanted to have to take a public bus somewhere. This tiny, stupid party could never be any of that to me.

I was lying on my cot, a pillow held against both my ears, when I decided that now would be a good time to just leave. Without thinking, I was on my feet, grabbing a backpack and racing out of the back of my house toward the hospital. There was no one around; everyone was in the middle of camp. I grabbed some supplies and shoved them in the raggedy old bag I was carrying, heading to my father's hiding spot for the keys to one of the vehicles. My favorite was the Jeep. I had named him Henry.

Where was I even going to go? I tried to decide that as I jogged to the cars, jumping into the driver's side of the Jeep and starting the engine without hesitation. I couldn't risk being followed. I left the headlights off despite the darkness and backed out of the trees onto the road, easing my foot onto the gas pedal and beginning to fly. The stars whipped over the top of my windshield like rain. I followed the moon, unsure which direction I was traveling in. All I knew was I just wanted to move.

Guilt stung my thoughts the longer I drove, and I attempted to compensate by flooring it. My hair whipped around, my eyes burning from the wind, empty houses and burnt down buildings and broken trees flying by on either side of me. This was civilization now. This was all I had, besides springs that I technically wasn't allowed to swim in, and loud parties where we all danced around, kidding ourselves.

I slammed on the brakes when I found myself at an ocean. So I had been driving in the wrong direction, then. I had never seen this beach before, and I wished I had brought one of the compasses, so I could see which way I was going. I glanced around. Of course, there was no one. Pulling the keys from the ignition and dropping them into the seat, I slid down to the sand, taking off my shoes. It was just barely warm under my toes. I padded toward the water, staring at the reflection of the moon on the rippling surface. It reminded me of the spring, of my home.

There was no arguing that camp was my home now. I couldn't just leave. I couldn't abandon my father, my mother, Isaac. I had to go back.

Regardless, I spent an hour in the water, knowing that this was surely a private spot to swim. My father had always told me to stay diligent when I left camp, if ever, because we never knew how many other people were out there, living like us. Strangers were dangerous. We were risking a lot letting the Cullens in. It only struck me now how trusting we had all been, but my father had the greatest intuition I'd ever seen. If he thought they were good people, then they were.

Tying my damp hair up into a tight topknot and putting my clothes back on, I turned the Jeep around, driving half as fast back to camp. By the time I pulled in, most of the noise from the party had stopped. I returned the keys to their place, feeling guilty about all the gas I had wasted on my little pity party. I could just hear my father's scolding now. Maybe he wouldn't find out.

I was fighting tears as I made my way back toward camp, not even sure why. Maybe I was crying for what I couldn't have. Maybe I was crying because I felt guilty. Whatever it was, tears brimmed and spilled over onto my cheeks, and I sat against a tree, struggling to hinder sobs that would surely attract unwanted attention.

And sure enough, footsteps sounded a few minutes after I had curled into a ball, my face buried in my knees. "Bella?" Jacob asked, and his footsteps softened, slowing. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I croaked, wiping my face on the sandy skin of my knees and glancing up at him. His face was the kindest I had ever seen it, and he took another careful step forward, dropping down in front of me, legs crossed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, Jacob," I said, unable to show him any of my usual hatred. "There's nothing."

"Out there, you mean?" he asked, and I nodded, another round of tears dripping onto my chin and down onto my chest.

"We have here, though," he said after a few seconds, and I laughed sarcastically, choking back more sobs. "Camp. Your family."

"Don't act like you've never wanted it back," I choked out, meeting his dark eyes. He was almost invisible under the combined shade of the canopy and darkness of the night. He could have belonged to the forest, his skin a perfect echo of the trees.

"I'm not," he said quietly. "I do want it back."

I didn't know what to say to that, and we simply sat together in silence, me crying into my knees and Jacob sitting not even a yard away from me. He didn't leave. I expected him to, almost. Jacob had never been one to show open kindness, but here he was, sitting with me so I wasn't crying alone. Somehow, it made me feel better.

"Do you still want to go swimming?" I asked him, finally. It couldn't have been less than a half hour of silence before that.

He looked stunned, his brows rising. "You want to?"

"I swam in the ocean. I'm sure I'm disgusting."

He started to smile, his white teeth glinting through the darkness. "Never."

"Oh, shut up," I groaned, standing and starting to jog through the trees. My bag had had an extra change of clothes in it, but I had put those on after getting my other ones all salty; the only option would be swimming in my bra and underwear.

I had been shy before the sickness. Not anymore.

"Bella, oh my god," Jacob said, and I heard him slap his hands over his eyes as I tugged my shirt over my head. I laughed, too loudly, and he moved forward, covering my mouth. "Put your shirt back on and keep quiet, or we'll get caught in a very uncomfortable situation."

"Don't be a baby," I said, laughing again, this time less loudly. "It's not like you haven't seen this before. Isaac told me you've seen me swimming, creepy ass."

"That little shit," he growled, but there was a smile in his eyes. I shot forward and jabbed him sharply in the stomach, bouncing back on the balls of my feet to get away from his reaction.

"Don't talk about him like that," I hissed. "Oh, and Jacob. I get that you're an officer and all. But don't order me around." And with that, I yanked off my shorts, diving into the freezing water of the spring and feeling more free than I had in a long time.

—

I thought for sure no one would see us sneaking back into camp, the sun staining the sky dark purple and orange. I was wrong.

"Bella, where have you been?" Charlie demanded, stomping up to me as Jacob and I broke through the trees. My father's eyes moved behind me, to Jacob's long black hair sticking to his russet skin, and then shot back to me. "You've been gone all night. I've been worried sick. So has your mother, and Isaac."

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down at my feet. "I had a bad night. Jacob made me feel better." I glanced at the other boy, and his white teeth were showing again in a weak smile. My usual hatred for him still hadn't returned. In its place was a sudden affection, some amount of actual care for him rather than dislike. It made my stomach twist.

"I'm sorry too, Charlie," Jacob said. "I should have told you."

"Next time you two sneak off, tell someone," my dad barked, and then turned, stomping back toward camp and our house. I glanced at Jacob, who was fighting a smirk, and elbowed him.

"You got me in trouble."

"Actually, I think I saved you from trouble. He liked that we had been together. And he said next time."

"God, shut up," I groaned, moving a couple steps back from him, about to follow my father. "You're delusional."

"When do you think next time is, then?" he asked hopefully, softness I definitely was not used to on his face.

"Like I said, you're delusional," I told him, swinging my bag of clothes over my shoulder and chasing after Charlie.

—

I was assigned to the garden that day, Edward with me, and I had almost forgotten about his arrival by the time I met him in the middle of camp. He looked relatively relaxed, ready for the day. I, on the other hand, was the total opposite; not only was I exhausted from getting no sleep, I was thoroughly confused. Had I actually enjoyed spending time with Jacob? All night, I had actually had fun with him; I had enjoyed spending time with him. He had made me laugh, made me happy. Maybe it was because I had been so sad. Maybe it was the way his skin blended in with the trees.

"This is easy," I told Edward as we walked toward the garden. My mother and Isaac were already tangled in the rows of plants, as usual. Most of us had different jobs every day, but these two were always working on the garden. It was their joint effort, their baby. And it comforted my parents that Isaac worked so hard, but was so happy doing it.

"It's hot," Edward pointed out.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious."

"You look sick."

"I'm just tired."

"Long night?"

His tone of voice threw me off, and I glanced at him, almost angry. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard a couple of the officers talking. Your dad said you were gone all night."

"I was."

"Where were you?"

"None of your goddamn business," I snapped, not sure where he'd gotten the balls to interrogate me like this. If it wasn't bad enough that I was confused about Jacob, I definitely didn't need Edward as a negative reminder that we were the only people in the whole country, basically. I had spent enough time last night hurting about it.

"My mom will show you the ropes," I said, within my mother's earshot, and she smiled, happy to help. I grabbed Isaac's hand and ran with him off to the far end of the garden, ready to completely avoid Edward and all my worries as long as possible.

"Where were you?" Isaac's tiny voice asked me, and I glanced up, peeking through the tall stalks of green around me to meet his bright eyes. Sweat coated his forehead, sticking his curls to his skin.

"Last night?" I asked in reply, already tired of talking about it.

"Yes."

"You'll be happy," I told him. "Jacob and I went swimming."

"You what?!" he demanded, crashing through a row of corn to stand in front of me. "I thought you told him no!"

I laughed, brushing his hair back. "I did. But I was sad, and he made me feel better."

"Why were you sad?"

"I just miss everything," I told him, no patience left in me to come up with a lie. "You know. From a long time ago."

"Momma misses it sometimes too. It's okay," Isaac said, reaching forward and pushing my hair out of my face, how I'd done to his. I smiled and laughed lightly, picking up the small shovel I'd been using again.

"I know it's okay. Everything's okay with you here, kid."

"Are you going to marry Jacob?" he asked suddenly.

"Whoa," I choked out, putting my hand over his mouth. The action only reminded me of the other boy, and my stomach twisted again. "What are you talking about? No."

"Daddy wants you to."

"I know that. We are very young, Isaac. And Jacob is not a very nice boy."

"Who are you going to marry?"

"Why do I have to marry anyone?"

"I just hear them talking about it," he told me thoughtfully, correcting the way I was digging while I tried to avoid his gaze. "They want you to marry someone. Jacob."

"Mom and Dad?"

He nodded.

"It's not something any of us need to be worried about," I said, on edge. Why was today so weird? It felt like my life was just becoming one big tangled knot, in a matter of days. First the newcomers, being assigned to Edward, the bout of sadness, then the weird night with Jacob. Isaac's questions weren't helping things at all.

I was left alone for the most part after that, and by lunchtime we were finished with the garden. Edward followed me and my family members back to the middle of camp, where everyone was gathered again, passing around food. I grabbed my share and went back to my house, lying on my bed and falling asleep before I'd even had time to eat.

It was night when I woke up, hearing my father's snoring as usual. I glanced over, my eyes wide in the darkness, searching for Isaac. I saw his small form silhouetted under a thin sheet right next to my cot, and smiled to myself.

I spent a few minutes trying to fall back asleep, too wide awake and hungry to manage it, and I felt around for the food I hadn't eaten earlier, sighing when I realized someone had taken it. I could just go take something small from the garden. I stood up, putting on shoes and leaving.

It was unusually cold through the thick humidity, and I shivered slightly, sneaking around the edges of camp where I knew no one would be patrolling. The trees were in the back of the garden, and I circled it toward them, swinging up onto a branch and starting to climb into an apple tree. I had done this a million times. The leader of the camp's daughter could do pretty much anything and not get in trouble, if even caught.

I sat on a branch and plucked an apple down, rubbing it off on my shirt and looking down over the garden. My eye caught on someone lying on the far edge, sprawled on the grass, staring up at the sky. I squinted for a whole minute before realizing who it was.

I jumped down, running to Edward and yanking him up by his arm. "Get the hell out of here. Are you trying to get yourself kicked out? Do you know what would happen if Jacob knew you were here right now?"

"Hey, Bella," Edward said, laughing and letting me pull him to his feet. "I can protect myself from Jacob."

"He'd get you and your family kicked out, Edward," I snarled. "Are you insane?"

"I think you could sway his decision, couldn't you?"

I was taken aback, blinking several times and trying to understand what he had meant. I could sway his decision? Was he referencing the night before, when Jacob and I had spent time together? Or was he just talking about my parents wanting us together? Was he not referring to that at all? Had he meant his sentence as a compliment?

"Get back to camp," I finally managed to say, pushing him toward the trees. "Don't get fucking caught, I swear."

"What's eating you?" he asked me, not budging.

"At the moment?" I demanded, glaring.

"No, in general."

I paused, then continued to push him. "Edward, I am seriously trying so hard to help you right now."

"I'm trying to help you. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I repeated, scoffing. "You're acting like an idiot. A couple days into your stay here isn't a good time to be sneaking around in the middle of the night."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"Goddammit," I hissed. "Edward."

"If you tell me, I will leave," he said. He was smirking, and it reminded me of Jacob. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

"You told me there is nowhere else," I told him slowly. "No other humans. No one else. No other places. That I'm basically stuck here for the rest of my life, living with the same people, always afraid, always struggling to stay alive and stay together. We had no idea what was out there before you. I always had hope. And you took all of that hope, and you crushed it." I glared at him again, pushing him roughly toward the trees so he stumbled backwards. "Now get the fuck back to camp before I turn you in myself. And you know I can sway Jacob's decision," I jeered, turning and storming back the way I had come.


	4. White Light

I jogged back to camp fuming, wondering what the hell had gotten into Edward. What was with the attitude? Did it have anything to do with Jacob? I couldn't help but worry that it did, and I didn't understand why it was upsetting. I didn't have to care what either of those boys thought of me.

 _This is so cliché_ , I growled at myself, skidding right to the edge of camp when I saw beams of flashlights shining through the trees. Those were in very limited supply, and they were only used when it was incredibly important. Had something happened?

"Bella!" a voice barked, and someone pulled me to them; I recognized his smell and the thick black hair that tickled my face. "What are you doing out here? It's not safe."

"What happened, Jacob?" I demanded, pulling away from him; I pretended not to notice the hurt on his face as I did so. He kept his hands on my waist, and it reminded me of those awkward high school dances from the movies. I only needed to put my hands around his neck, and we could sway to the sounds of the officers several yards away from us.

"There's been a…disturbance."

"What kind of disturbance?" Instantly, a million images flashed through my mind; my mom, my brother, even my father, hurting, in pain. Covered in blood the way Jacob had been. For the first time, the memory of him being brought back into camp after that day made my stomach twist, and I reached out to him, digging my fingers into his shirt. "My family?"

"They're okay, Bella."

"Then what happened?!"

He sighed, pulling me further into the trees and away from the voices. "Harry got a hold of one of Avery's guns. She was sitting with him because he was having one of his breakdowns, you know." Jacob had more pain in his eyes, and I remembered his relationship to Harry. The old man was nearly 75, and we had found him several years ago walking on the side of the road, sunburned to all hell and talking nonsense. My mother had nursed him back to health, but he had never been totally normal. He was even more reclusive than me.

Jacob hadn't known Harry longer than any of us had, but they had both been under my mother's care at the same time. Jacob's attack had occurred just days before Harry had been picked up. They had bonded together in the hospital, so Jacob had a soft spot for him. Kindness coming from Jacob without any incentive was rare to see, which was why I had been surprised the night before at him comforting me in the forest. However, the boy had never hesitated to show kindness and love to Harry.

"Where is he? Where's Avery?"

"We don't know where Harry is. He's off in the woods somewhere. People are looking for him. God, I can't believe you're out here. You could have been hurt." He pulled me into his arms again, and this time I let him, closing my eyes. Where was Harry? Was he okay? Had he hurt himself, or anyone else?

"What was he saying when he took the gun?"

"We don't know. Avery is unconscious."

"Did he shoot her?!"

"No. Just knocked her out. The only reason we found her was because someone heard a gunshot in the woods and went looking. We don't know what he shot."

"How do you know it wasn't himself?"

"We haven't found blood trails or anything. He might just be letting off steam somewhere."

"Did we check the springs yet? He could drown."

"Everyone is looking, Bella. Did you see anything? What were you doing out here?"

"I was hungry," I said simply, blinking slowly. Edward was still out here. Edward could be in danger from Harry. It wasn't like I could tell Jacob that; surely he'd find some way to blame the Cullens for Harry's breakdown, or even not allow the other officers to look for both missing men. My stomach sank. What would happen to them?

I had to go find Edward. I had no other choice.

"We need to get you back to your house. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Aren't there officers there already?"

"Yeah, a couple."

"Then keep doing your job, Jake. I'll be fine. Thank you, though." I smiled weakly up at him, and he beamed back, sliding his arm around my waist and starting toward the middle of camp. It seemed that every single officer was on duty, running around, discussing plans. I didn't see my dad, which I guessed was a good thing, because surely I would be in trouble for roaming the woods at night.

Jacob dropped me off at the front door, and I thanked him, hugging him tightly once before heading inside. I couldn't help but be worried about him, and simultaneously confused about why I was worried. Three days ago I wouldn't have been worried.

Feelings could grow for someone though, couldn't they? You didn't always like someone right away. Maybe my hatred for Jacob had stemmed from my hatred of feeling like an animal in a cage; my parents wanting me to follow the path they had for me, marrying Jacob and taking over camp and living this same simple life forever. Now that I knew Jacob better as a person, with compassion and drive, maybe I was more capable of having feelings for him.

Either way, I was still worried.

Isaac was sleeping on his cot when I walked in, but my mom was sitting up in her bed, leaning against the wall and flipping through a book she'd probably read a thousand times. Her eyes lifted to me and then did a double take, and she jumped up, hugging me and tugging at my hair as if to check if it was okay. "Bella!" she cried. "Where have you been?! We've all been so worried!"

"I just wanted to get an apple," I breathed, feeling tears similar to yesterday's brimming; why was I such an emotional wreck lately? What was happening to me?

"Oh, honey," she said, holding me tightly and then walking me toward my cot. "It'll be okay. Just try to get some sleep."

"You try too, then," I said, and she looked contemplative, nodding. Good. If she was sleeping, that would mean I could go look for Edward.

I felt like I waited for hours, lying wide awake in bed, eyes staring up at the dark ceiling. Isaac's soft breaths continued next to me, and my mom's slowly elongated. I waited another good twenty minutes before I slid carefully onto the floor and tiptoed across the room, looking down at my mom. She was sleeping, that was for sure. Nervously, I crossed back to Isaac's bed and lifted him, carrying him to lie next to my mom. Not only did Edward have to be safe, and Jacob, but absolutely nothing could happen to Isaac. Nothing.

I listened at the door for voices of officers, and it seemed most of it had died down. Were they all out looking? That wouldn't help me much. I wanted to get Edward back to the hospital safely, and without the others knowing he had been out. Imagine the trouble he would be in. Would Jacob have them kicked out? Or worse?

That reminded me of Edward's smart comment about my being able to sway Jacob's decision, and I gritted my teeth. I was risking a lot for that asshole.

I waited for total silence before tipping my front door open just wide enough for me to slip through, and then I took off at a sprint to get under the cover of the trees, thankfully not seeing anyone around me as I ran. I honestly didn't even know where to start. I could go back to the garden, I guessed. I jogged in that direction, hearing voices and immediately skidding to a stop.

Flashlights shone a couple feet away from the tree I was hiding behind, and I held my breath, begging them not to find me. They passed eventually, and I heard no recognizable voices. Jacob and my father were still out here somewhere. I had to be especially careful.

I ran another fifteen minutes, circling the garden slowly and climbing up into several trees, trying to see something telling. It was too dark. I had no flashlight, and having one wouldn't bode well for my secrecy anyway. A thought rose to the front of my mind: why not check the hospital for Edward? Maybe he had made it back safely after all. That would solve a lot of my problems.

I made it to the hospital and had to quickly climb into a tree for cover; there were at least six officers standing out front, keeping watch. There was no way I was getting in through the front door. Glancing around, I noticed a window further up that was relatively close to a branch. I had never done something like that before, but there was no harm in trying. Unless I fell and broke my neck, of course.

The climbing was the easiest part, and managing to slide myself out onto the limb was only slightly more difficult. I had to fight with the window, however; this one hadn't been opened in years, probably. I wondered if it was locked just as it screeched open, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for someone to voice concerns about the strange sound. I heard nothing. Maybe I was too high up to have been noticed.

The window opened into an empty storage room, and I kept scanning for others around me, just waiting for the reprimand I'd hear from my father if I was caught. Padding into the hallway, I glanced up and down, at the bare walls and open doors. This floor was basically abandoned. I starting jogging again, looking for the staircase.

I searched two floors before I even found the Cullens' room. I knew it was theirs due to another two officers standing in front of it, talking in low voices to each other. How was I going to get in there?

I had to create some kind of diversion, didn't I? Or would my status as the chief's daughter help me out?

Holding my head high and straightening out my messy hair, I walked right for the Cullens' door, ignoring the guards as if they weren't even there. One of them, an older man named Stanley, moved to stand in my way.

"And what do you think you're doing, miss?"

"My father instructed me to question the Cullens about their role in Harry's breakdown. I'm supposed to see what they know."

"We'll come with you."

"No, I have to do this alone. This is a learning opportunity for me, if I'm to follow in my father's footsteps." I gave them the sternest face I could manage, and they met eyes, shrugging and moving out of the way so I could go in the door. I didn't thank them, closing the door quickly behind me as soon as I had entered.

Carlisle and Esme were already awake, and they leapt to their feet, nervousness in their eyes. I looked behind them, at Edward's bed, full of pillows as if to pretend he was still underneath the covers. We all knew he wasn't.

"He didn't come back," I said, swallowing hard. "He's still out there."

"What's happening, Bella?" Carlisle asked me, and I couldn't meet his eyes.

"An older man is out there with a gun, he's having some kind of mental breakdown and stole one from an officer. Edward is also out there." I looked up, my heart beating out of my chest. "I'm trying to find him."

"Try the springs," Carlisle said. "He loves those."

"You can't tell her to go back out there," Esme scolded. "She'd be putting herself in just as much danger as Edward."

"Where else does he like to go?" I asked. "I checked the garden already."

"Around the cars," Carlisle said. Esme grabbed his arm, desperate, but I was already on my way out. My eye caught on a window at the edge of the room, just like the one I'd climbed in through.

"Is that how he got out?" I asked, and they met eyes and nodded. I sighed. Edward and I were more alike than I'd thought.

"Be safe, Bella," Esme pleaded. "Don't get yourself in trouble."

"I'm the chief's daughter," I said, as if that explained everything, and then turned and opened the door again. The officers were still out there, eyes curious, but I stalked past them soundlessly, returning to the staircase where I would escape the hospital the same way I'd come in.

—

The springs were empty, except for another search party I had to avoid. The cars were the same.

I went back to the garden, finding myself sitting in a ball on the ground and fighting even more pathetic tears. I hated this. Why was this so frustrating? Why did I care so much?

Because Jacob and Edward were both out here, and both in danger. I cared about them. I didn't want either of them to get hurt. What if Edward had been caught by the officers? What if Jacob was sentencing him as I sat here, worrying?

Thinking hard, I tried to imagine a place Edward would hide if he realized there were officers everywhere. He probably wouldn't even realize that they weren't looking for him. He would think he was in trouble. He might try to escape, to get away.

My heart ached as I worried he would think I had turned him in. What if he thought I had sent all of these officers out looking? And if Harry found him, and attacked? Edward could die thinking I had betrayed him.

I couldn't come up with anything. My mind was completely blank.

I stood up, legs wobbly, and started off toward one of the places I had shown Edward on his first day here. The place we emptied our waste, several miles away. It was all I could think of.

Halfway there, I heard an incredibly loud bang, echoing in my skull. A gunshot? I froze, eyes scanning every direction. Where had it come from?

Another gunshot. Closer this time.

I bolted forward, running as fast as I possibly could; where was Harry? Who had he shot? I didn't stop sprinting toward where I had heard the sound come from, seeing familiar bronze hair nearly fifty feet ahead of me.

"Edward!" I cried out, and I saw his shoulders tense, but he didn't turn around. I made it to his side, grabbing onto his arm and starting to pull him. "Come on, we have to go," I begged, breathing heavy. "Let's go."

I didn't realize right away that he was staring straight ahead, not even looking at me as I attempted and failed to budge his strong stance, and I followed his gaze. Harry stood between two trees, facing us, gun held in front of him with his elbows locked. His arms shook slightly, but his eyes were glued to Edward's.

"Harry," I said, looking Edward up and down. He hadn't been shot. Harry didn't have any blood on him either. "What are you doing?"

"He brought it with him," Harry insisted. "He brought it."

"Brought what, Harry?" I asked, starting to step forward, and Edward's arm shot out, pushing me behind him. I tried to fight him, but his arms were too strong.

"Stay behind me," he ordered.

"Edward," I growled, but Harry was speaking again.

"B-brought it," Harry hissed. "All of them. We have to watch out. We shouldn't have."

"Shouldn't have what?" I asked, trying to get out of Edward's arms and still failing. "Harry, put the gun down and talk to us."

"No!" the old man barked, and Edward tensed, his fingers digging into my arms. "No, I can't… I have to protect."

"Protect Bella," Edward said. "Put the gun down. You could hurt her."

"I have to protect her from you," Harry said, and I felt Edward's arms still completely. What was Harry doing? Edward was too tall, his arms too tight, for me to see anything.

"Bella," Edward said, almost too quietly for me to hear. "Bella, run."

"No," I whispered in reply. "I'm not leaving you here."

"Go back to your mom and your brother," he told me sternly, still too quiet. "Go home."

"Not without you," I said, fighting his arms again. This time I broke free, and he kept his arms behind him, eyes still locked on Harry with the gun. "Edward."

"Bella, get the hell out of here," Edward demanded, and I remembered me telling him the same thing just hours ago. "He's going to hurt you."

"He's going to hurt you, too," I countered, my eyes flicking from Harry to Edward and back again.

"I know."

"Bella!"

I jumped at the sound of my name, looking around us, and Harry was looking around, too, both of us scanning for flashlight beams. Edward saw the opportunity and took it, leaping toward me and taking both of us down to the ground. Three gunshots went off, and I clung to Edward, burying my face in his chest. His arms were too tight around me, but I didn't care. As long as he was safe.

"Come on," he said, standing up with me still in his arms. "We have to run."

Another gunshot went off, and I jumped, Edward noticing my shock and taking my hand. He began pulling me, the same way I had done with him, except this time both of us sprinted away. I didn't know where we were running. I was too disoriented to notice the direction or the trees around us. I just knew I had to get out, and I had to stay with Edward.

Before I knew it, we were at the spring. We stopped running and my legs gave out; his strong arms caught me, laying me gently on the grass where we had washed clothes together. He lay down next to me, taking my hand where it sat on the ground and squeezing it once. "We're safe now," he said, and I looked at him slowly, seeing his green eyes on the stars.

"I know," I breathed, unable to pull my gaze from his face. His jawline, the curve of his neck. The way his bronze eyelashes caught the white light from the stars. Edward was safe. I was safe.

I don't know how long we lay there, Edward's eyes on the stars and mine on him, before footsteps sounded and flashlights shone down on us. "Bella," Jacob's voice said, and he swept me up, my hand still tangled with Edward's. "Are you okay? Why are you back out here?"

"Edward," I breathed, blinking and looking around for him. My head was still pounding from the sounds of the gunshots, and gray was closing in on either side of my vision as I searched for him. "Edward!"

"I'm okay, Bella," he told me, and I just barely saw the shape of him standing up, officers on either side of him, their hands on his arms. "We're safe now, remember?"

"Keep Edward safe," I told no one in particular, leaning my aching head against Jacob as he held me. "Keep Edward safe." The last of the color drained from my sight, and slowly changed from gray to black. All sound faded out. The last memory I had was the white light in his eyelashes.


End file.
